The village of Vourliotes on the island of Samos in Greece
The village of Vourliotes with its approximately 500 inhabitants is probably the most picturesque mountain village, and in anyway one of the prettiest villages on the island of Samos. It is located in the north of the island at about 300 meters in altitude, near Kampos or Kambos and Avlakia, approximately in the middle of the island as you look from left to right. The distance to Samos Town is some 21 kilometers. Vourliotes is an old village which dates from the 16th century and the earliest inhabitants came from the village of Vourla in Minor Asia. They gave the name Vourliotes to the village. A little lower in Paleochori are some ruins of houses where they probably lived before moving to Vourliotes. The village lies at the foot of the mountain Lazaros. The road to Vourliotes is less spectacular than for instance the route to the nearby Ampelos (while you drive through the nightingale forest with its huge trees) and perhaps the views are slightly less spectacular than from Ampelos, but the town is much nicer and there is much more to see.
At he beginning of the village Vourliotes there is a single taverna and after that on the right side of the road a small parking place. Best is to park your car a little before you enter the village because the streets get very narrow very quickly. In the middle of the village there is a nice square with restaurants and there are pretty churches and colourful houses with bay windows and narrow streets with flowers. The center of the village is traffic free.
